Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen Mysterious and Unfamiliar Voices

Anders frowned at Ann. "You'd better be careful," he warned her gently, "someone like our Martian friend Van Falkenberg can figure out everything you know." Ann froze, and he turned to Jim Drake again. "Set that thing up, we're getting out of here." He waved nervously at the CT hammer, "Let's go back to the spaceship. Whatever you find on that CT planet, we've got to find out .” Anders waited for Drake to adjust the anti-gravity field, and then flew back to the "Golden Eagle" spacecraft with him and Ann.Along the way, he silently followed the two asteroids, thinking about how to deal with them and Liberty Star.

As a scientist, he admired their long-term and unremitting efforts and their courage to face hardships and dangers.He didn't even believe that they had failed completely, but rather hoped that they would succeed. But he is an earthling.He had to win the CT for Interstellar, because he knew losing the CT meant the company's downfall.Although Drake seems to have failed here, there is much evidence that these asteroids are far ahead in CT research.The phone call with Mackey talking about the CT chassis; his dilapidated spaceship mysteriously appearing in front of them—there's no way nuclear power could make the ship go that fast; astronaut.All these things are too outlandish to be brushed off.Also, Ann O'Barian's hostility was too obvious.

The three of them entered the spacecraft from the main cabin, took off their spacesuits, and took the small elevator to the bridge.Lieutenant Colonel Popov greeted him. "You're so brave, Colonel," he whispered in Anders' ear, "I thought they were going to detain you, but I know you've got the upper hand." Holding his pistol, he asked, "What are we going to do?" Arrest them now?" "Lieutenant Colonel, don't worry!" Anders grabbed his arm. "The whole situation has changed subtly. In order to avoid causing interstellar conflicts, these people must be dealt with carefully. I will talk to them alone again."

"Colonel." Ann couldn't help asking, "What are you doing now?" Her voice was hoarse, and her jaw was raised stubbornly.However, a lock of black hair spilling out of her red space cap makes her look like a toddler in trouble.Anders wanted to smile at her, but the obvious hostility in her eyes kept him from smiling. "It's more or less up to you," Anders said solemnly. "You have to know that the guards will never tolerate your CT research here-no matter how unsuccessful you say. If I'm not around That CT hammer would work just fine. Also, some of Rick Drake's and Mackey's recent odd behavior has yet to be explained."

Anders tried to soften his tone. "Also, I don't want to send you to Burroughs IV. If you can prove that you have nothing to do with any conspiracy against the Mandate, then I will be happy. I am also perfectly willing to ignore the evidence that I have seen — as long as we can cooperate." He turned to look at old Drake who was listening patiently to him. "Maybe I can keep some company guys here," he suggested hopefully, "and you can continue your CT research under their watch. If you do build something of value, you will Get paid well. But you gotta tell me what Rick and Mackey are doing, where they got those guys, what they used to power that ship, and what's up with that chassis model."

Drake shook his head, tired and dazed.Ann's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything either. "It's better to speak out," Anders said. "There's only one other option—prison." Old Jim Drake stood there clutching his wounded hand as if trying to stop some kind of piercing pain.His body trembled slightly, and his deep-set eyes were dull and lifeless. "Cold-blooded animal!" cried Ann O'Barian angrily.Her lips were bloodless, and Anders noticed that the little freckles on her nose were more pronounced, "Have you forgotten, Colonel?" Her voice was full of sarcasm, "You don't want to give an ultimatum too soon. .”

"Really?" Anders liked the fighting courage in her eyes, how he hoped that fate did not turn her into his enemy, "What have I forgotten?" "CT meteor cluster." A smile appeared on An's pale lips, "If no one guides you, you will die." "You gave us this trump card." Anders smiled and explained happily, "Every turn you took on the way here has been recorded by our sophisticated instruments. We can follow the original way back." "But the meteors are moving." An quickly retorted, "Different clouds are moving at different speeds. If you go back the same way, you will definitely collide with CT fragments."

"Maybe." Anders nodded easily, "But we haven't stayed here for a long time, and the way we came here should not have changed much." Seeing the bright confident expression fade from Ann's face, he Can't help feeling a little sympathetic to her.But, he added expectantly, "unless you're willing to accept my terms." Ann shook her head. "I'm sorry." Anders' voice became hoarse, "but you know you left me with no other choice. I'm going to have to arrest—" The phone on the boat rang suddenly, interrupting Anders' words.He picked up the receiver and recognized Muadorui's shrill voice.

"Colonel Anders?" He looked confused and disturbed. "The comm system picked up a signal, sir. An unusual signal. The security system couldn't shape it into an intelligible form. Maybe it wasn't for We fired it. But it's weird, sir—" "What's so strange?" "The signal is from the CT fragment we're investigating. It's weak and can't be tuned all the time. It sounds like a human voice, sir. The comm system shows it's in a clear state, but no one knows where the voice is. Say what." "Bring it in." For a moment there was only a disturbing sound in the earpiece, but then the voice rustled—if it was really a human voice.Anders listened for half a minute, pricking up his ears to catch the familiar voice.Suddenly, he shivered, as if the icy breath of the dark space outside had blown on him.

"Come and listen," he put the receiver into Ann O'Barian's hand: "Is it for you?" Ann listened in bewilderment.What a fine actress, Anders thought darkly.After a while, the rustling stopped.Ann put down the receiver silently. "How?" Anders asked. "What is it?" "Is that strange noise?" Ann shook her head. "I know it's for you," insisted Anders, "for your fellow asteroid people. Because it was sent to Liberty Star. What did it say?" "I don't know." Ann took a step back under his pressure, "If it's really saying something—but it doesn't sound like a human voice at all!"

"Maybe it was a human voice." Anders glanced back at the old Drake, then stared at Ann's face, trying to find a little sense of guilt under her innocent disguise, " Maybe it's some kind of CT substance?" Ann's face sank, and she stood motionless for a long time.Finally she said in a weak voice, "Could it be a CT person?" "We found a needle-like tower built by CT." Anders nodded slowly, watching her facial expression. "It was blown up from the CT planet that you changed its orbit. The person who built it The person must be the same as the person calling you now, they are all CT people!" "No!" An angry light flashed in Drake's tired eyes, "I have never found a trace of CT's life." "There's evidence that you're lying." Anders glanced at Ann. "I'm going to arrest you two, and while we investigate the CT fragment and bring you back to Burroughs IV, you may tell us the truth." The old man flushed and was about to explode when Ann O'Barian stopped him.She looked at Anders fearlessly, with a sneer on her lips. "You forgot about the CT meteors again, Colonel." Her voice was surprisingly calm. "If you take me to investigate that CT fragment, I'll guide you. I'd be happy to go with you, but you have to Keep Mr. Drake." "Are you threatening me?" "Just a suggestion, Colonel. You'd better let Mr. Drake stay and take care of it until Captain Robo comes back and helps him remove that CT hammer." "Maybe so." Anders gave her an appreciative smile, "but why are you so eager to get me out of here?" "I want to go find that fragment with you," Ann stopped talking, glanced at Drake hesitantly, and then continued, "Because I actually received a call from nearby." "Oh?" Anders searched her face with his eyes, trying to find a sense of guilt or shame, "When was that?" "The day after the last explosion." "I should have heard from our listening post." He shook his head incredulously. "The operator who got the call was a friend of mine and she didn't pass the call on to your spies. She taped it and brought me the tape after hours." "Where's the tape?" "Here." Ann reached into his pocket, "I want to take it to Mr. Drake, because I can't understand it, and I know your spies will eavesdrop on my conversation with him. This is I'm anxious to think about the real reason for being here." "Give me the tape." Ann handed the tape to Anders, who quickly put it into the tape recorder on the communication table.He pressed the play button, and Robo Mackey's voice came from the loudspeaker. "...Operator, this is a personal call, no one else's. Please record it, give it to her, and forget about it. She'd better not answer." "Ann... I don't know how to say it." Mackey's voice was weak amidst the interference of electromagnetic waves, but he could be heard hesitant, "But we found the most needed person in the metallurgical laboratory. stuff. If you ever get a chance to see Jim, please tell him about it." Mackey hesitated for a moment before going on, "Tell him that's what we want--if we can bring it back safely. People from all over the world are trying to get it, and there's going to be trouble. People talk to each other." Fighting, dying in numbers in ways you can't believe. But I can't say too much." Anders squinted his eyes and looked at the two asteroids beside him.He thought to himself that Mackey had said too much—it was the CT chassis that he wanted to talk about. "Because we need you, Ann." The smiling voice continued, "We need your help with those hysterical enemies. That's why we're calling you at this hour. Don't answer. There are too many spies out there. Wiretapping. You just need to come to us when you can. "You'll find us on this CT fragment tracked by Colonel Anders. When you get here, you'll know what to do. I don't want to be too vague, but then you'll understand. Before you Come as soon as you can. That's all I can say... Call over. Thank you, operator." Anders turned off the recorder and looked gloomily at Ann O'Barian. "Is that why you came with us?" He nodded mockingly. "You knew what to do when you got there, didn't you?" "Come on, Colonel!" Ann protested. "I don't understand Captain Mackey at all." "I think I understand." He glanced warily at the old Drake who was standing silently beside him, "Thinking about his words with the weird phone call we just received, I think this is enough to explain your asteroid People are dealing with some CT monsters." "But we didn't!" Ann's eyes widened in bewilderment, "and it's impossible for Captain Robo to call from that CT fragment. Because he went to Port Burroughs the first day, and he returned from there the next day. Called me. He couldn't have been on the fragment, and he didn't say anything about the call." Her hands were clasped together nervously. "I don't understand, Colonel—unless we're People are framed." "Who is it?" Anders snorted, "Isn't that the voice of Mackey?" "It sounds similar," Ann admitted after a moment of hesitation, "but with so many distracting noises around, you can't be sure." "But anyway, you want to go there with us, don't you?" For a while, Ann stood motionless, her face pale.She glanced at Jim Drake, but he made no sign to her.She thought for a while, and slowly said to Anders: "I have to go, because I don't understand..." Her eyes widened anxiously, "Colonel, will you take me? If I promise to navigate for you, Will you take me there?" "I'll take you." Anders stared at her face, trying to remember that she was an enemy of the Star Corporation, "The combat ship is not allowed to carry unrelated ladies on missions, but I will take you anyway "He smiled warily at her, "Because I'm worried about letting you stay here!"